AJC
Western Thunderer
You're not wrong (my ignorance of automobiles is more or less total). Thanks for pointing that out!
Adam
4mm An EM Workbench: Mineral allsorts
- Thread starter AJC
- Start date
You're not wrong (my ignorance of automobiles is more or less total). Thanks for pointing that out!
Adam
alastairq
Western Thunderer
Worth noting, being a 4 door [Fordor], Brighton had a taxi company that used Ford Y types [ 8 HP] in 4 door form, painted cream. One was 'up for sale' a few years ago.
Although the photograph may be a little 'distorted'....the earlier Ford 8 HP Y types [known as the 'short rad' types] 1932-1933, had a straight front bumper. The starting handle [bringing a whole new aspect to 'stop-start' technology?]...which exited near the bottom of the rad, being clear of the bumper.
The long radiator model Ys ['33-37, new]...had the dipped front bumper, to clear the new starting handle position.
If, in one's opinion, a starting handle on the model might be clear of a 'straight' front bumper, it could have said bumper replaced and be backdated. This meaning the model has a 'short' radiator.
Handy, I suppose, if really being finescale, and having one's timeframe set as early as 1932?
Although the photograph may be a little 'distorted'....the earlier Ford 8 HP Y types [known as the 'short rad' types] 1932-1933, had a straight front bumper. The starting handle [bringing a whole new aspect to 'stop-start' technology?]...which exited near the bottom of the rad, being clear of the bumper.
The long radiator model Ys ['33-37, new]...had the dipped front bumper, to clear the new starting handle position.
If, in one's opinion, a starting handle on the model might be clear of a 'straight' front bumper, it could have said bumper replaced and be backdated. This meaning the model has a 'short' radiator.
Handy, I suppose, if really being finescale, and having one's timeframe set as early as 1932?
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LarryG
Western Thunderer
One of my uncles bought one of these Fords in 1955 after packing in motor bikes, and said "Lets see what it'll do"... We set off along the quiet Lees New Road towards Ashton-Under-Lyne, but ran out of road at Hurst Cross before it even reach 65mph. The wheels couldn't have been balanced. Anyway we set off back again in this bone-shaker and he had a job braking on the downgrade before the only sharp bend. I'm sure motor-bikers have a different mindset to those who have never had one It was an ex motor-biker who turned us over in his Hillman Hunter in 1970.
alastairq
Western Thunderer
An old friend has a short rad model Y saloon, currently. He has recently completed a decent mileage round trip in it, up into the north of this country....without incident.
It is doubtful a cheap banger, back in the day, would be anything like as well maintained, or in as good order, as one today....[My first car, a 50's Morris Minor, bought in the late 60's, turned out to have zero rear brakes...What did one expect for 25 quid?]
The Ford Y type brakes needed some decent fettling in order to work well enough. The slightly later [Girling] brake system used by Fords was, and is, far superior, when adjusted and maintained correctly.
Driving also had different priorities back then [ hill climbing, for example..the objective being, to simply, get to the top.....Unlike today, when drivers complain if the speed drops off, or they have to 'change gear?']
It is doubtful a cheap banger, back in the day, would be anything like as well maintained, or in as good order, as one today....[My first car, a 50's Morris Minor, bought in the late 60's, turned out to have zero rear brakes...What did one expect for 25 quid?]
The Ford Y type brakes needed some decent fettling in order to work well enough. The slightly later [Girling] brake system used by Fords was, and is, far superior, when adjusted and maintained correctly.
Driving also had different priorities back then [ hill climbing, for example..the objective being, to simply, get to the top.....Unlike today, when drivers complain if the speed drops off, or they have to 'change gear?']
Unfitted Project: LNWR open
AJC
Western Thunderer
And now, something completely different (well, for me), but continuing the theme of unfitted opens. This, from @Bill Bedford's Mousa Models is an LNWR dia. 84, quite a common form of open high that lasted into the '50s in reasonable numbers. Below is shown what turns up in the box:
A complete body and underframe (there's a separate floor), all square and nicely defined. The resin is extremely robust so I've no concerns about the brakegear or levers lasting in traffic. Among the innovative features are 3D printed springing units which work very well, on trials. The principle is exactly that used in Bill's etched W irons: a bearing carrier slides inside the W-iron on a guitar wire spring. The only difference is that the spring (an 'L' shape) is mounted into a hole and a bracket rather than fixed the the bearing carrier which has a groove in it which rests on the spring.
There are also printed sprung buffers, and couplings. I did trial assemble a buffer, and the concept works, but since I had some metal heads and springs in stock and the printed heads are a little chunky, I have substituted these. The couplings are workable - I've seen versions on Bill's stand over the years, but they are scale and my standard is a bit bigger to make them workable for my hands and eyes so I used these instead (no slight is intended, I'm fairly sure that they'd survive well in use).
Note the buffer assembly jig - very clever, and it works. Anyway, here it is after a bit of cleaning up and a waft of primer (note that I had to replace the door spring plate on one side so that it lined up with the spring - I suspect a copying error here - a scrape with the scalpel and scrap of 5 thou' tacked on with cyano'. I was surprised how the striations visible before hand are not too apparent.
All in all quite promising, if disconcertingly quick to build. There are a few, LMS-applied, details to add (label clips, horse loops, RCH-type owner’s plates), but that’s barely 10 minutes work.
Adam
A complete body and underframe (there's a separate floor), all square and nicely defined. The resin is extremely robust so I've no concerns about the brakegear or levers lasting in traffic. Among the innovative features are 3D printed springing units which work very well, on trials. The principle is exactly that used in Bill's etched W irons: a bearing carrier slides inside the W-iron on a guitar wire spring. The only difference is that the spring (an 'L' shape) is mounted into a hole and a bracket rather than fixed the the bearing carrier which has a groove in it which rests on the spring.
There are also printed sprung buffers, and couplings. I did trial assemble a buffer, and the concept works, but since I had some metal heads and springs in stock and the printed heads are a little chunky, I have substituted these. The couplings are workable - I've seen versions on Bill's stand over the years, but they are scale and my standard is a bit bigger to make them workable for my hands and eyes so I used these instead (no slight is intended, I'm fairly sure that they'd survive well in use).
Note the buffer assembly jig - very clever, and it works. Anyway, here it is after a bit of cleaning up and a waft of primer (note that I had to replace the door spring plate on one side so that it lined up with the spring - I suspect a copying error here - a scrape with the scalpel and scrap of 5 thou' tacked on with cyano'. I was surprised how the striations visible before hand are not too apparent.
All in all quite promising, if disconcertingly quick to build. There are a few, LMS-applied, details to add (label clips, horse loops, RCH-type owner’s plates), but that’s barely 10 minutes work.
Adam
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AJC
Western Thunderer
And here are those details - I'll be finishing this one in LMS condition (rather than BR, a small train of pre-Nationalisation wagons is the aim), but the LMS rang a few changes to the LNWR original (based on the image in this post: Scratchbuild a wagon in styrene).
Adam
Adam
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Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
AJC
Western Thunderer
Probably the easiest way to show this is this snap from the (justly) minimal instructions:
Adam
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AJC
Western Thunderer
I'm not sure it will - it might if it effected the length of the spring by damping, which could lead to different spring rate on individual wheels. The 'leg' is only there as location after all. I suspect that with EM wheel standards this won't be remotely problematic, but it might in P4?
Adam
AJC
Western Thunderer
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
AJC
Western Thunderer
That's probably true. I was thinking, as usual, in terms of "would Dave Bradwell allow it?"
Always a good sense test, to be fair! And I'm no engineer, just a historian (albeit one with a Physics A Level, 20 odd years back). I just find mending things - and even more, replacing bits that have dropped off somewhere - extremely boring.
Adam
AJC
Western Thunderer
There's a glut of EM stock on eBay at the minute I came across a batch of crocks which included one or two interesting items (more of which anon) and a speculative bid was successful working out at a couple of quid a wagon which was worth it for the wheels alone really. You get interesting insights into other modellers when you inherit their work and these vehicles all seem to be by the same hand, probably in the Leicester area. All the wagons came with Jackson couplings and, looking at them, I'd say the builder was happier with metal bashing than plastic assembly, but also fairly handy with a paintbrush as there's some quite nice hand/mapping pen lettering here and there.
Three of them are shown here, along with another vehicle for the pre-Nationalisation rake, a Midland van from Cambrian.
The Fox PO is a Slater's kit, lettered by hand, and with an etched nickel-silver subframe (which accounts for the incorrect axleboxes, MJT, I think), which I will probably replace. Note the proper safety loops. This was the best of the batch because, barring couplings, it was good to go. The Midland van is my own effort and requires more work, but it perfectly serviceable - I've added new axleboxes and am reworking the brakegear for durability as is my usual practice.
The Stephenson, Clarke 7 plank is standard Cambrian, with all the vices and virtues of that kit (uneven planks which do emulate wear quite well, poor fit of headstocks, some lumpy detail) again, on an etched, compensated, subframe. It's missing a few bits, but nothing serious. The Ratio Mogo shows the quality of the kit, because it's square and has survived more or less intact in its fundamentals, but the plastic is hard and brittle, not helped by it not having been painted (though it was lettered): all the brakegear and buffers disintegrated on sight... That said, it's recoverable and will be a fairly quick, easy, fix. I must remember to retain the tiny lettering the previous owner added to the works plate on the solebar.
Adam
Three of them are shown here, along with another vehicle for the pre-Nationalisation rake, a Midland van from Cambrian.
The Fox PO is a Slater's kit, lettered by hand, and with an etched nickel-silver subframe (which accounts for the incorrect axleboxes, MJT, I think), which I will probably replace. Note the proper safety loops. This was the best of the batch because, barring couplings, it was good to go. The Midland van is my own effort and requires more work, but it perfectly serviceable - I've added new axleboxes and am reworking the brakegear for durability as is my usual practice.
The Stephenson, Clarke 7 plank is standard Cambrian, with all the vices and virtues of that kit (uneven planks which do emulate wear quite well, poor fit of headstocks, some lumpy detail) again, on an etched, compensated, subframe. It's missing a few bits, but nothing serious. The Ratio Mogo shows the quality of the kit, because it's square and has survived more or less intact in its fundamentals, but the plastic is hard and brittle, not helped by it not having been painted (though it was lettered): all the brakegear and buffers disintegrated on sight... That said, it's recoverable and will be a fairly quick, easy, fix. I must remember to retain the tiny lettering the previous owner added to the works plate on the solebar.
Adam
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AJC
Western Thunderer
A couple of van updates - and different approaches to brakes. First, the vintage solution which stands up well: ABS castings, combined, because I happen to have them, Rumney Models Vee hangers. Safety loops still needed, and a vac' cylinder to add, but they're good and quick.
Also worth noting the works plate, which I must mask off before painting:
The Midland van needs a different approach, partly because the brakes are slightly different, partly because those were the last ABS castings I had in stock, and probably the last I'll ever get. So here I've enlarged, and reinforced, the tumbler which I'll drill for wire once it's set (either side brakes on these). Locations for safety loops have also been added prior to installation which can probably wait a day or two.
Adam
Also worth noting the works plate, which I must mask off before painting:
The Midland van needs a different approach, partly because the brakes are slightly different, partly because those were the last ABS castings I had in stock, and probably the last I'll ever get. So here I've enlarged, and reinforced, the tumbler which I'll drill for wire once it's set (either side brakes on these). Locations for safety loops have also been added prior to installation which can probably wait a day or two.
Adam